“The Manhattan judge overseeing the federal corruption case against Mayor Eric Adams will be in the spotlight this week after a standoff between federal prosecutors and the Justice Department over a directive to drop the charges against the mayor,” the New York Times reports.

“The law gives judges almost no ability to refuse a government request to drop criminal charges. But Mr. Adams’s case may challenge those limits and that precedent.”

“Four top New York City officials are expected to resign in the coming days, after the outgoing U.S. attorney for Manhattan accused the mayor of trading cooperation with President Trump’s mass deportation agenda for a dismissal of his criminal indictment,” the New York Times reports.

Politico: Mass resignations from Eric Adams’ administration spark chaos in NYC government.

“Eric Adams has united Democrats in New York City,” CNN reports.

“From across the boroughs and otherwise warring ideological factions, there is widespread agreement that the mayor has little to no chance of winning the Democratic primary in June — and that he shouldn’t even try.”

“Whenever Mayor Eric Adams has faced adversity, he has sought refuge in the pulpit of Black churches, and he returned there on Sunday as he confronted fresh calls to resign,” the New York Times reports.

“Mr. Adams, a New York City Democrat who is running for re-election, made clear that he would not leave office on his own after the Justice Department’s push last week to drop the corruption case against him, which raised concerns that he is now beholden to President Trump.”

Said Adams: “People are dancing on my grave… I’ve got a mission to finish. I am going nowhere.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) wouldn’t rule out removing New York City Mayor Eric Adams from office, New York Magazine reports.

Said Hochul: “I’m consulting with other leaders in government at this time. I need some time to process this and figure out the right approach.”

“This is the most direct Hochul has ever been about dragging Adams from City Hall — a power she holds as the governor, and one none of her modern predecessors has ever wielded.”

David Graham: “Federal officials have Adams, a Democrat, where they want him: They’ve ordered that the federal criminal charges against him be suspended, and now he has no choice but to do exactly what the White House wants.”

“Humiliating as shameless a figure as Adams is no mean feat, but Donald Trump seems to have managed it.”

“Manhattan federal prosecutors were prepared to bring a new bombshell indictment charging Mayor Eric Adams with destroying evidence and instructing people to lie to the FBI,” the New York Post reports.

“As Trump returns east today, he’s got to be pretty satisfied with how the first official trip of his new term went,” Politico reports.

“The lovefest between Trump and his political enemies representing fire-scarred Los Angeles shows he’s capable of making nice, a key presidential skill — and shows where he might be trying to make more inroads among California’s deep-blue coastal elite.”

Said Trump: “I’m going to give you everything you want. I’m going to give you more than any president would have ever given you.”

Playbook: “It was a complete 180 from his attacks on California over the past two weeks, which hit on everything from water supplies to forest-management practices to immigration and insurance to Hollywood’s job market. He hit on those themes yesterday, too — but with nearly as much generosity as gloating.”

“Karen Bass may have been born and raised in Los Angeles, but her fire-ravaged hometown has become newly hostile territory,” Politico reports.

“Never in her decades-long political career has the Los Angeles mayor been the subject of such intense public scrutiny, from her anxious and grieving constituents all the way up to the incoming president.”

Peter Hamby: “I can report confidently, from multiple sources here on the ground, that most Angelenos would like the social media brigade to shut the fuck up.”

New York Times: “Her broken promise to cut off overseas travel and her busy international schedule since becoming mayor in December 2022 scarcely registered with the public before the wildfires, and Los Angeles voters accepted — and in some cases even welcomed — the mayor’s identity not just as a municipal leader but also as a Washington-style global player. Now, though, her decision to leave the country at a time when the National Weather Service was warning of ‘extreme fire weather conditions’ has set off a political crisis for Ms. Bass.”

“Rivals have lashed out. Liberal supporters whose homes burned down have become outraged critics. An online petition demanding her immediate resignation has attracted more than 100,000 signatures. MAGA Republicans and their allies have swarmed social media, amplifying and exploiting the anger.”

“When a series of dangerous, wind-driven fires broke out on Tuesday in the Los Angeles area, Mayor Karen Bass was on the other side of the globe, part of a delegation sent by President Biden to Ghana for the inauguration of its new president,” the New York Times reports.

“The mayor’s absence has drawn criticism from some Angelenos. Many said there was insufficient warning from officials about the likelihood of devastating fires, even as weather forecasts predicted extreme danger this week.”

The Bulwark: “Bass has faced heavy criticism both for seemingly approving millions of dollars in cuts to the city’s firefighting budget last year—though Politico reports that the overall funding for the department actually increased in a later, separate bill—and for an ill-timed trip to Ghana this week. She took that trip even as warnings came in that a dangerous fire could break out in and around the city. Once gone, she was left to coordinate the initial response from thousands of miles away.”